Release Date 06 May 2021     Mandarin

Taiwanese will enjoy a new craft sour beer Chill 53 that was brewed at OFT Grinder (自由人釀造) thanks to a new partnership between NKUST Seafood Science Department (DSFS) researchers and OFT’s professional brewers.

DSFS, firstly, screened and isolated lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from the commercial kimchi product with the highest γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content and was identified as Lactobacillus Plantarum NKUST 817 (L. Plantarum NKUST 817).

Next, DSFS has access to different local products and found jade purse lychee the best match to L. Plantarum NKUST 817. The jade purse lychee juice was used as the base and added at the beginning of fermentation to promote the fresh and bright flavors of Chill 53.

Syuan Jhih International Co., Ltd. (炫智國際有限公司), nurtured by DSFS Associate Professor Wu, Chien-Hui (吳建輝), worked with brewers Huang, Jyun-Neng (黃俊能) and Mou, Shan-Cyun (牟善群) to apply L. Plantarum NKUST 817 with suitable methods in order to accomplish the fermentation process. 

Why did L. Plantarum NKUST 817 get all of the attention?

Assoc. Prof. Wu was one of the critical supporters who completed important research and experiments with his lab team members, and they screened over 1,000 strains and finally located L. Plantarum NKUST 817.

“This Lactobacillus strain is really of great potential.”

“According to our research study, L. Plantarum NKUST 817 is anti-oxidative and resistant to gastric acid. It possesses inhibitory ability against important pathogenic bacteria, including Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica, and Listeria monocytogenes. Also, L. Plantarum NKUST 817 with α-glucosidase inhibitory activity can mediate blood glucose. This Lactobacillus strain is really of great potential,” says Wu.

Another supporter behind this new craft sour beer production was Huang, Jyun-Neng who was a beer expert, a judge of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP), and also a co-founder of OFT Grinder.

“Given these good elements for use in sour beer Chill 53, it could be a real hit in the domestic market.”

“Although there are many Lactobacillus that can be used for fermentation, for OFT Grinder, locally researched Lactobacillus and locally sourced lychees are the best choices for us. These components create fantastic chemistry with our yeast. Given these good elements for use in sour beer Chill 53, it could be a real hit in the domestic market,” says Huang.

Huang spoke about how he came across the L. Plantarum NKUST 817 research conducted by Assoc. Prof. Wu. By using this Lactobacillus strain for the trial, Huang was surprised by the result as the sour beer contained a bit of grape and lychee aromas. He, then, decided to blend sour beer with fruit.

After numerous experiments, Huang cooperated with a fruit seller Fangjing Cooperative (芳境合作社) in Kaohsiung city, whose jade purse lychee juice can help him to produce the best sour beer. The beer was named Chill 53.

OFT Grinder put their efforts into finding critical ingredients for beer fermentation. The brewer Huang chose German wheat 23A Berliner Weisse with Taiwanese lychee to brew sour beer.

Assoc. Prof. Wu’s lab focused on the research of GABA and his lab worked closely with brewers of OFT Grinder. Their cooperation achieved great success.

When sour beer Chill 53 was released on press day, everyone who drank a bottle of it was amazed by its fruit aroma and special flavor that was so delicate.

The sour beer Chill 53 creates slightly tart and refreshing flavor profiles with welcoming aromas of jade purse lychee and grape. It is sure to keep you feeling cool, refreshed, and relaxed all summer long.

Attention: Don’t drive drunk.

Translated by Jess Lin     Reviewed by Prof. Amy Tang